Asthma and other respiratory diseases, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) have long been treated by the delivery via inhalation of appropriate medication into the body via the lungs. The inhalation of the medication has been facilitated by an inhaler or puffer device. For many years the two most widely used and convenient choices of portable treatment devices have been the metered dose pressurised inhaler (MDI), or a dry powder inhaler (DPI). In an MDI the medication is most commonly stored in solution in a pressurised canister that contains a propellant, although the medication may also be in suspension. The MDI canister is attached to a plastic, hand-operated actuator. On activation, the MDI releases a fixed dose of medication in aerosol form from the mouthpiece of the MDI that can then be drawn into the lungs of the user. Dry powder inhalers release a dose of the medication as a powder aerosol.
In medicine, compliance or adherence describes the degree to which a patient correctly follows medical advice. Non-compliance or non-adherence of patients in taking their medication is a major recognised problem in the effective delivery of health care. Estimates from the World Health Organisation indicate that asthma non-compliance could be as significant as 28-70% worldwide, which means that there is a corresponding increase in the risk of severe asthma attacks requiring hospitalisation and this contributes to the human and economic burden of asthma as a condition. Non-adherence of asthma sufferers to their medication in the US alone is estimated to cost US $290 million per year. One of the major compliance barriers seen in asthma sufferers not taking their medication or overusing the wrong type of asthma medication is the difficulty for asthma sufferers to habitually remember to take their preventive medication. The preventive medication, such as Seretide® made by GlaxoSmithKline that includes fluticasone proprionate (a preventer of asthma symptoms) with salmeterol (an asthma symptom controller), needs to be taken on a twice daily basis. Efforts to improve compliance with asthma sufferers taking their preventive medication that are undertaken include the likes of sending reminders including telephone reminders, using individualised charts, diaries, e-mail, text or SMS messages, electronic applications for use with smartphones and the like. However, all of these efforts or systems require ongoing costs and daily interruption in the lives of asthma sufferers.
The present invention aims to provide an alternative low cost method of providing a device that reminds an asthma sufferer to use their inhaler every time that they brush their teeth, or to at least provide the public with a useful choice.